How to predict severe and dangerous behavior

On the first podcast of 2024, we describe a new paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association or JAMA which uses physiological measurements like heart rate and skin conductance to predict severe and dangerous behaviors, specifically aggression. If aggression can be predicted, it might be able to be prevented. It turns out aggression can be predicted up to 3 minutes before an episode occurs, in the future these measures can be used to possibly redirect aggression. In a separate study, the issue of stigma is addressed. There is an intense debate over “person first” vs. “identity first” language in autism, promoting recommendations of using one over the other because fear that person first language promotes stigma against autism. A new study shows that there is no added prejudice or fear using either person first or identity first language, but the stigma associated with schizophrenia is worse than it is for autism. What contributes to stigma? There is a wide range of experiences and perceptions of autism that need to be addressed. It’s not as simple as the language used.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38127348/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37965364/

A topic for discussion on President’s Day: violence and victimization

Happy President’s Day!  This week’s podcast is focuses on a topic that has been on the mind of families affected by autism:  autism and violence and victimization.  The studies reinforce 1) the lack of an association between autism and criminality, 2) the association of an autism diagnosis with being the victim of abuse.  This includes self report data, database analyses and assessment of people who cannot report their abuse.  This sobering podcast was posted today because gun violence is an issue at the forefront of this president’s administration.  While this podcast is not focused on gun violence, hopefully this data will reduce the misconceptions and stereotypes around autism and violence.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30655190

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28593599

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28545754